De Blasio's charter revision commission agenda clears wide margins

Three ballot initiatives Mayor Bill de Blasio spearheaded to boost his government reform bona fides soared to victory Tuesday, paving the way for a new set of campaign finance regulations as candidates begin to raise money in the race to replace him.

With 85 percent of precincts reporting, the ballot question won by an 80-20 margin, according to projections by the Associated Press. Another initiative to allow de Blasio to establish a “civic engagement commission” won 65-35. A third to limit community board members to two four-year terms passed 72-28.

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A $3 million Charter Revision Commission the mayor set up earlier this year settled upon the ballot questions, which the mayor and his team stumped for throughout the past two weeks.

“Tonight we took a big step toward becoming the fairest big city in America,” de Blasio said in a prepared statement. “The question in front of voters was simple: Are we going to be a city that works for everyone? New Yorkers answered with a resounding ‘YES, YES, YES!’”

Borough presidents and the city comptroller, Scott Stringer, mounted a campaign to defeat the second and third questions.

“These proposals may sound good, they may even feel good, but the reality is that term limits for the volunteers who serve on community boards puts communities at a disadvantage in their dealings with developers and City Hall,” Stringer said in a prepared statement this week. “A ‘civic engagement commission’ controlled by any mayor also puts communities at a disadvantage and won’t enhance democracy in our neighborhoods.”

A likely candidate for mayor himself, Stringer has more than $2 million in his campaign account and has said he supports the new limits of $2,000 per donor for citywide officials, down from $5,100. The rule would go into effect in January, allowing possible candidates several months to fundraise at the current levels.

The proposal would also increase the public match from 6-to-1 on $175 of each qualifying donation to 8-to-1 on $250.

The mayor himself has taken large contributions from developers, lobbyists and well-connected attorneys while also establishing three fundraising committees that allowed him to take unlimited contributions from people with business before the city to promote his agenda.

He recently set up a fourth to raise funds for national political candidates he supports.

Nevertheless, de Blasio has said these initiatives are necessary to get “big money out of politics.”